Char-Griller

Origins and background

Char-Griller is a US brand made by A&J Manufacturing, based in Tucker, Georgia and founded in 1998. Unlike most of the category, it took its own route to the kamado: instead of ceramic, triple-wall steel with an insulating air gap. Over the years its Akorn line has become a popular reference for the affordable kamado in the United States, reaching Europe opportunistically through Amazon ES and third parties.

What sets it apart

The brand rests on two models: the standard-size Akorn E16620 and the Akorn Jr., its cult product —a light, portable steel kamado at a price no ceramic can touch. The trade-off is transparent: swapping dense ceramic for steel buys featherweight portability —it fits in a car boot— at the cost of heat retention and the inertia a thick ceramic body provides.

Our assessment

We recommend it for what it truly is: the cheapest, most transportable gateway into the kamado method. Compared with our Big Green Egg Large, and drawing on the specs and its large user community, steel heats and cools faster, is more wind-sensitive and does not bank heat like ceramic, so it demands more attention on long, low cooks. In return it offers total mobility, quick starts and a minimal barrier to entry. It is the logical pick for camping, small terraces or trying a kamado without a big outlay —not for anyone chasing the thermal stability of a high-end ceramic.